This has been a week of mailbox abundance. Almost everyday there has been something awesome that I’m excited to bring into our home! Most of the mail usually gets filed in the outside garbage can on the way back in. But this week has been a feast!

My most favorite things were cards from parents. My mom sent an Easter card to the family and then a special get well card to Sammi. She cut her foot last week and had to have 7 stitches. Poor girl has had a rough week walking on just her toes on that foot. My dad and Kim sent us an Easter card also, with special surprise messages from our cousins. So fun to stay connected through mail.

Kindie Music

We received several new albums this past week or so. It’s amazing to me how quickly the world of Kindie Music is growing and permeating the Internet. I’ve had to coax the kids out of watching Frozen for the 100th time so I could play the new CDs in the car. They always love the music once it gets going, but it sure is hard to turn off Frozen!

Danny Weinkauf‘s album No School Today comes out next week. We’ve been enjoying this one in the car. It really is way too fun and we have been singing most of the songs a lot of the time. Our two favorites are Archeology (it has a super catchy chorus) and The Ballad of Ben (which is about Ben Folds but we like to pretend it’s about our Ben!)

The Okee Dokee Brothers will release Through the Woods: An Appalachian Adventure Album on May 20th. Living in the heart of Appalachia for the past 5 years, I feel like this album is a souvenir gift to take with us and always remember Tennessee as we prepare to move to NY this summer (6 weeks!)

The Little Rockers Band just released their third album Count Me In! We’re excited to get to know this NJ based group that also teaches music classes for ages 6 months – 7 years old. I think we cover those ranges pretty much exactly! For a feel of their style, check out this video. It’s fun and perfect for heading into the summer scene.

Zee Avi‘s Nightlight was also released this past week. The first song instantly won my heart! It’s a remake of Don’t Worry, Be Happy which was my mother’s theme song during her MBA program at the University of Utah when I was in 5th grade. I remember that tape so well! So far Nightlight has been a peaceful addition to our music collection.

I was surprised to receive Suzi Shelton‘s new album Smile In My Heart on the same day I learned her kickstarter campaign reached full funding! Congrats Suzi! We’re also enjoying this album. I featured the title song Smile In My Heart in the February issue of Growing Up magazine for Valentine’s day.

And coming in May we are so excited about Bari Koral‘s album The Apple Tree and the Honey Bee. We have already fallen in love with Bari Koral and this album only cements us as life-long fans. Seriously! Plus she led kids and adults in a little yoga at the Easter Egg roll at the White House on Monday! What an inspiration she is to us.

Books

This must also be a busy publishing season at Scholastic as we’ve received several pre-bound books and a board book recently. It’s been fun this last year to see the books we’ve received show up in the girls book orders they bring home from school. The only thing I don’t like about getting review copies of pre-bound books is that I can’t just let the kids have at it. The pages get all jumbled up and then it’s like a choose your own adventure story trying to get it put back in order!

Five Hungry Pandas is a cute board book. I love the description on the cover: A Count and Crunch Book! And seriously, I didn’t know there were so many ways to talk about pandas eating bamboo. And they all rhyme and don’t feel forced. We’ve really enjoyed this one. Available June 24, 2014

The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland: the girls had fun flipping through and reading this book when it first arrived. It has great illustrations and the cranky expressions are spot on. Available July 29, 2014

Zoe’s Jungle is a follow up to Zoe Gets Ready and Zoe’s Room (No Sisters Allowed). We really enjoyed Zoe Gets Ready and look forward to more adventures with Zoe. The illustrations are whimsical and playful with the perfect touch of sparkles. Available May 27, 2014

Mighty Dads is a cute book from James Dean the creator of the Pete the Cat series. We’ve loved Pete the Cat. Are you sick of Pete the Cat? Goodness, no! Mighty Dads celebrates dads and their relationships with their kids through showcasing construction vehicles. Each full size vehicle has a little mini me and together they get the job done. This book will totally appeal to any youngster who loves construction vehicles! Available April 29, 2014